Market News

The US Dollar edged higher despite the latest economic data which surprised with some disappointments.

Asia shares edged higher on Wednesday in quiet trade following a slight uptick on Wall Street, while the dollar slipped lower and oil prices rose after recent selling.

As investors pin their hopes on more movement from the People’s Bank of China to intervene in the Yuan’s strength, antipodean currencies were able to find some support.

Asian shares rose slightly on Tuesday, following Wall Street gains and seeing a certain amount of stability in crude oil prices before the Christmas holiday sets in.

Despite the outcome of Spain’s election which sent Mariano Rajoy, the Prime Minister, back into the seat of power, the Euro was able to hold its own.

Chinese shares led Asian markets higher on Monday while the price of Brent crude plummeted to 11-year lows on renewed worries over a global oil glut.

The Canadian Dollar hit an 11-yr low against the U.S. Dollar joining the other G10 nations that are being pushed down by a strong USD. ‘Monetary policy divergence’ is being felt across the board but the CAD seems to be the weakest currency within the group.

Brazil's finance minister Joaquim Levy has had enough. The leading financial figure in Latin America’s largest economy handed in his resignation late Friday and has already been replaced by Nelson Barbosa, the current planning minister, who was handpicked by left-leaning President Dilma Rousseff.

Asian shares slipped on Friday but were still on track for gains in a week which saw the depreciation of the yuan in China and the introduction of the first U.S. interest rate hike in nearly a decade.

The US Dollar Index struck a 2-week peak following the Federal Reserve’s highly anticipated move of an increase in its benchmark lending rate.

The Federal Reserve interest rate hike Wednesday took nobody by surprise. The markets reacted accordingly with mostly strong performances all around.

The Federal Reserve today ended an era of near-zero U.S. interest rates with a rise of 0.25% in the baseline Federal Funds Rate, completely in line with market expectations. The FOMC voted unanimously in favor of the rise.

Asian stocks ticked up on Wednesday taking its cue from a jump on Wall Street; the dollar held on to its gains on the back of an uptake in Treasury yields.

Though analysts’ forecasts are practically unanimous in calling for a Federal Reserve rate hike in the coming days markets remain cautiously nervous of a surprise.

Asian shares edged up on Tuesday, moving off their session highs amid concerns about volatile crude oil prices and ahead of this week's widely anticipated U.S. interest rate increase.